On August 6 2018 in UAB Dirmeta company (Kaunas, Lithuania), a workshop was held concerning the current constructional solutions of the screws used in the plasticizing systems of such processing machines as the extruders. The workshop was dedicated to members of the NEWEX project and Secondees from UMI, TUK and LUT took part in it. In the beginning, the host of the meeting, Mr Povilas Padleckas, the CEO of Dirmeta presented in an interesting way the history of the company, its development, technical capabilities, human resources and the most important achievements. Edgaras Rimkus and Mindaugas Karnickas from DIR helped him in this. Next, he invited us to visit the plant. During this visit it was possible to get acquainted directly with machines and devices constituting technical resources and manufacturing and machining capabilities of Dirmeta company. Then, Ivan Gajdos, D., Sc., M., Sc., in his presentation entitled ”Screw design – state of the art” showed different screw designs known so far. He talked on the development of the screw design, geometrical features of the screws, their shearing and mixing elements and on using different types of screws for different types of polymers. After the break there was a brainstorming concerning the design of the special screw. First, prof. J. Sikora showed several concepts of newly designed screws, geometrically adapted to the design concept of a rotating barrel segment adopted as a result of the implementation of task T2.2 and he initiated a discussion on that subject. Prof. Antonia Gaspar Cunha, Mr Cezariusz Żmuda, Mr Paweł Wysmulski and prof. Hubert Dębski presented their ideas. As a result of the discussion, design concepts for special screws were indicated in order to be developed, and three of these concepts will be selected for further stages of the project implementation.In the second part of the day, a visit to the Kaunas University of Technology in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design took place. Secondees from UMI, TUK and LUT familiarized themselves with the areas of the Faculty‘s researchers and scientists interests, which include various topics of mechanical engineering, vehicle engineering, energy and energetics technology and material engineering. The Faculty is also actively involved in various art and design practices.
